Filling and using reclosable bags

ABSTRACT

A reclosable bag is filled through an opening defined between a back side of a folded closure strip secured to an inner surface of the bag on one side of the bag opening, and an inner surface of the other side of the bag opening. The filled bag is sealed by joining the back side of the closure strip to the opposing bag wall at a point outboard of the closure strip and bag opening. The bag is later opened by breaking through a frangible section in a folded portion of the closure strip, between mating bands of hooks and loops. In some cases, an extension of one side of the bag forms a handle or a fitment; in particular, funnels can be formed from integral extensions of the closure strip, integral extensions of the bag-making material, or from a discrete preform which is joined to the bag construction.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation of and claims priority, under35 U.S.C. §120, to PCT/US01/31689, filed Oct. 11, 2001, which claimspriority to U.S. application Ser. No. 60/240,288, filed on Oct. 13,2000.

BACKGROUND

[0002] This invention relates generally to reclosable bags havinghook-and-loop closures, and to methods of filling and using such bags.

[0003] Some useful bags have reclosable closures that can form anair-tight or tamper-evident store or shelf seal, and that, afteroriginal opening, form a pantry seal, permitting convenient, repeatedopening and closing of the bag.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The invention has a number of aspects that are illustrated in thefollowing detailed description and are generally described in theclaims.

[0005] According to one aspect of the invention, a reclosable bag has afolded closure strip disposed at a bag opening between opposing bag sidewalls and having parallel hook and loop bands extending from a surfacethereof.

[0006] Preferably, the bands separated by a frangible region of theclosure strip, such that the bag, after being opened by severing thefrangible region, is adapted to be reclosed by folding the bag to placethe hook and loop bands in releasable engagement.

[0007] In some preferred embodiments, one of the opposing bag side wallsextends past the bag opening, beyond the other of the opposing bag sidewalls and the closure strip, to form a side wall extension.

[0008] In some cases, the side wall extension forms a funnel fitment.

[0009] The closure strip, for some applications, is joined to an insidesurface of the other of the opposing bag walls, in two longitudinal,spaced apart joint regions.

[0010] In some embodiments, the closure strip is joined to an insidesurface of said one of the opposing bag walls in a joint region disposedoutboard of an outer edge of said other of the opposing bag walls.Preferably, the closure strip is joined to the inside surface of saidone of the opposing bag walls only at its ends and in said joint region.

[0011] In some configurations, a first one of the loop band and the hookband is bordered on each side by a joint region joining the closurestrip to a bag surface, and the second of said sections is bordered ononly one of its sides, opposite the frangible section, by a joint regionjoining the closure strip to a bag surface, to define an antipeelfeature.

[0012] In some instances, the loop band comprises a loop strip carriedon the front face of a substrate of the closure strip and forming adiscrete band of hook-engageable, extended loops along the length of theclosure strip, the loop strip being at least partially encapsulated inresin of the substrate across its width. Sometimes, the loop strip hasdiscrete regions which are more encapsulated by resin than other regionsthereof.

[0013] Preferably, the hooks are integrally molded with resin of acommon substrate of the closure strip.

[0014] The frangible section may comprise, for example, a region thinnerthan the general thickness of the closure strip, bordered on each sideby formations which are thicker than the general thickness of theclosure strip.

[0015] According to another aspect of the invention, a partiallyconstructed bag is provided, suitable to be filled through an opening atits top. The bag has a closure strip disposed along its opening, theclosure strip comprising a sheet-form substrate having a front face, aloop section carried on the front face of the substrate and comprising adiscrete band of hook-engageable loops extending along the length of theclosure strip, and a loop-engageable section of loop-engageable fastenerelements extending longitudinally along the length of the closure stripand spaced apart from the section of loops. The substrate is folded in afrangible section between the loop section and the loop-engageablesection, to engage the loops and fastener elements. The closure strip ispermanently joined to an inside surface of one of two opposed side wallsof the bag at the opening, in a joint region, leaving a fill pathbetween the closure and the other of the opposed walls of the bag.

[0016] In some embodiments, the other of the two opposed side walls ofthe bag extends beyond the joint region and beyond the bag opening,forming a side wall extension on one side of the bag. The side wallextension may form a funnel fitment, or a handle, for example.

[0017] Preferably, the closure strip is joined to the inside surface intwo longitudinal, spaced apart joint regions.

[0018] According to another aspect of the invention, a method of fillinga bag includes providing a partially constructed bag as described above;holding the bag open to define a fill path extending past an obverseside of the closure, between the closure and the other of the opposedwalls of the bag; and pouring contents into the open bag through thefill path.

[0019] In some cases, the method includes joining the obverse side ofthe closure to the other of the opposed walls of the bag after the bagis filled. For example, the obverse side of the closure may be joined toan extension of said other of the opposed walls of the bag by heatsealing.

[0020] In some embodiments, the other of the opposed walls of the bagextends beyond the bag opening, to form an extension. In some cases, theextension defines a handle, a support hole, or a region for mounting aheader or a fitment.

[0021] In some embodiments, both walls of the bag extend beyond theclosure, and an insulator is inserted between said extensions beforejoining said obverse side of the closure to said other of the opposedwalls of the bag after the bag is filled.

[0022] The invention can enable bags, including pouches and otherbag-like packaging, to be sealed adequately for storage or shipment andto have a handy touch seal closure to provide a touch seal for the bagduring use of its contents. Certain preferred aspects of the inventionenable filling from the top or bottom, provision for handles, headersand fitments, and inexpensive manufacture and shipment of filled bagsand packaged products.

[0023] Other features and advantages will be evident to those ofordinary skill, upon review of the following description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0024]FIG. 1 is an edge cross-sectional view of a bottom filled bagshowing a touch fastener with a burst-seal feature.

[0025]FIG. 2 is a similar view of a device forming the heat sealsdepicted in FIG. 1.

[0026]FIG. 3 is a perspective of a bag construction suitable for fillingfrom the top.

[0027]FIG. 3A is an edge view illustrating the fill path for a bag usingthe closure of FIG. 4 prior to forming the final seal.

[0028]FIG. 3B shows an example of a technique for forming the final sealof the bag of FIG. 3.

[0029]FIG. 4 is an edge view of the closure shown in FIG. 3, while FIG.4A is a magnified edge view of area 4A of FIG. 4.

[0030]FIGS. 4B and 4C are edge and plan views of the closure applied inits flat, extended state to flat film, while FIGS. 4D and 4E are similarviews of the film showing the closure folded and mated.

[0031]FIGS. 5A through 5G illustrate a sequence of steps for filling thebag.

[0032]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a conveyer and sealing system forapplying a final weld to a burst closure on a filled bag.

[0033]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a completed bag which has beenfilled and sealed, while FIG. 7A is a magnified side cross-sectionalview of the closure portion of the bag of FIG. 7. FIG. 7B is a sidecross-sectional view on reduced scale of the entire product.

[0034]FIG. 8 again is an edge view of the top of a sealed package, whileFIG. 8A illustrates a user opening the package by breaking a burst-sealfeature of the closure.

[0035]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a bag having a fitment funnelattached to its top.

[0036]FIGS. 10 through 12 are alternative cross-sectional views, takenalong line 10-10 of FIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0037] In important applications, an integral hook and loop bag closureunit formed on a plastic substrate is welded between front face and rearface of a bag, to close the bag at one end. FIG. 1 shows one such bagclosure 462 welded to bag side sheets 464 a and 464 b, forming what wecall an “inverted” closure. The side sheets of the bag extend upwardlybeyond the closure strip and are themselves welded together to form theupper edge 466 of the bag. After the closure strip has been bonded tothe bag sides, and the side edges of the bag sealed (not shown), the bagis filled from its other end, in the direction of arrow “J”, which endis then sealed to close the bag. The top of the bag in this embodimentcan effectively have two shelf or tamper-evident seals, a seal formed atthe upper edge 466 of the bag and a seal formed by the body of closure462.

[0038] To initially open the bag, edge 466 is pulled, tearing the bagside sheets along perforations 468. Next, the closure strip is forcedopen and the closure strip web is pulled in two along a tear groove 470at the closure strip fold. To reclose the bag, the loop and hook bands104 and 106 of the closure strip are simply pressed together. One formof closure 462 has a tear feature shown in our earlier patentapplications. A presently preferred form of closure is shown in FIG. 4,described below.

[0039] The welding pattern shown in FIG. 1 provides anti-peel advantagesalso discussed in our above-referenced patent applications, as the inneredge of the loop side of the closure strip remains unbonded to bag sidesheet 464 b. One method of forming such a weld pattern is shown in FIG.2, in which closure strip 462 is simultaneously welded to both bag sidesheets 464 a and 464 b by heated jaws 472 and 474, respectively.Advantageously, loop material 104 is arranged on the folded closurestrip to overlap both inner and outer closure strip weld zones,inhibiting any permanent welding together of the sides of the closurestrip.

[0040] In some cases, a chilled jaw 476 is pressed against the loop sideof the bag adjacent the inner weld zone to further prevent undesirablebonding of the inner edge of the loop side of the closure to bag sidesheet 464 b.

[0041] Another embodiment, shown in FIG. 3, has only one store or shelfseal and has the important advantage for some applications of enablingfilling of the bag from the top.

[0042]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a general purpose bag. The bag isformed, in this particular example, by center-folded film having frontand back walls 9, 10 folded about center-fold line 11, which extendsalong the bottom of the bag. The side walls are joined by closure 5 atthe top of the bag. Extensions 9 a and 10 a of the front and back wallsextend above closure 5 and have center cut-outs that form handles 4.Left and right side welds 1 run vertically from the handle end to thebottom of the bag. These side seals, together with the bottom fold, formthe pocket of the bag.

[0043] In manufacture, the film from which the bag is made can bebrought into the bag-forming station either folded or flat. Forinstance, center-folded film may be brought into, e.g., a horizontalbag-making machine, in which the center-folded film is orientedhorizontally through the machine, and is indexed relative to weldequipment such that the side welds 1 are separated by a selected indexdistance. For the forming of a side weld 1, in the usual manner, a sealjaw comes down on regions 1, forming not only the seal but alsotypically a cut that separates the bag being formed from the nextadjacent bag. Alternatively the cut can be made after the seal atanother station, also in a usual manner.

[0044] In the bag of FIG. 3, in the region B at side seal 1, a sideextension of the film overhangs the seal 1 laterally, and a cut is madedownstream to separate the bag. Alternatively, a conventional band sealmay be formed, on which cut-off occurs at the time of sealing, so thatthere is no overhang. In another alternative, a conventional bead sealis formed (e.g., by a hot-wire or a hot knife), which simultaneouslycuts and seals together the two faces of the bag, this latter techniquebeing very quick, permitting rapid production of relatively inexpensivebags.

[0045] As previously explained, FIG. 3 shows a center-folded film.Alternatively, the bag may be formed of two separate sheets of film, inplace of center-folded film, which are welded across the bottom in placeof a center fold. A pleated or gusseted bottom may also be used in lieuof the center fold. These and other conventional bag constructions canbe employed, with or without the handles 4 and with various other top,side and bottom constructions.

[0046] We refer now to FIGS. 4 and 4A, which show a compositemembrane-touch closure that provides a re-close feature for the bag. Itis preferably formed according to the techniques explained in ourearlier patent applications, incorporated by reference below. Severalfeatures enable its attachment and allow the outer closure to hold backproduct that is loaded against the closure. Weld flange 44 of width W₃provides the region at which the final weld is formed after the bag hasbeen filled. This is the only weld region on this side of the closureand provides an anti-peel action for the closure. As shown in FIG. 4,outer weld flange 44 is associated with a loop section 48 of the closureunit. Hook section 46, associated with the other side of the closureunit, is bordered by inner- and outer-weld regions 40 and 42. Betweenthese closure sections is burst section 7. Whereas the base 150 of theclosure generally has thickness t in the region of the weld flanges 40,40′ and 44 and of the hook and loop sections 46 and 48, the thickness ofthe failure region of the burst section, t′, is substantially thinnerthan t. For example, t may be 0.005 inch (0.13 millimeter) and t′ 0.002to 0.003 inch (0.05 or 0.08 millimeter). The hook and loop bands eachhave a width W₁ of about 19 millimeters. One weld flange has a width W₂of about 9.5 millimeters, while the other has a width W₃ of about 16millimeters. The overall width W₄ of the closure strip is about 7.8centimeters.

[0047] Burst rails 50 and 50′, shown in detail in FIG. 4A, arereinforcement rails, thicker than t, which assure that the burst ordesired rupture of the film, when it occurs, occurs at thickness t′, ina discrete direction, and does not propagate beyond into either the hookor loop regions. The frangible region between the rails has a width W₅of about 0.030 inch (0.75 millimeter), and rails 50 and 50′ extend abovethe substrate a height “h” of about 0.030 inch (0.75 millimeter).

[0048] The closure 5 typically is welded to bag film as shown in FIG. 3.The first seal areas 6 and 6′ are formed to the back wall 10 at oppositesides of the hook section, at weld flanges or regions 40 and 42 of FIG.4. These welds may be applied while the film is flat, beforecenter-folding. The welds 6 and 6′ can be made either one right afteranother, or, as with a conventional drag sealer on a horizontal bagmaker, both the upper and lower seals 6 and 6′ may be formed at the sametime. The seal jaws in FIG. 3B are custom-machined to have an undercutin the region of the hook section to protect the hooks, while portionsof the weld shoe are in position for the upper weld 6 and the lower weld6′. At the stage illustrated in FIGS. 4B and 4C, neither the closureunit nor the bag film have been folded.

[0049] The edge and plan views, FIGS. 4D and 4E, show the closure nowfolded, e.g., by a folding shoe, about the burst feature 7 of FIG. 4A,with hooks 46 engaged with the loops 48. The film is now center-folded,ready to be formed into the bag of FIG. 3; however, at the stage beingdescribed, final seal 8 has not been formed (it is formed after the bagis filled, as will later be described).

[0050] Referring further to FIG. 3, the assembly of the closure on thebag is shown with the burst feature 7 of the closure oriented toward theproduct side P of the bag. The cut-outs for forming the handle 4typically are die-cut just prior to the time the left and right seals 1are made. This is an optional feature. With the bag construction shown,the burst seal is configured to provide the shelf seal of the package,such that there is no need for an additional seal located above theclosure 5. In other cases, the two hand sections can be tack-welded atspaced points, the welds rupturable by opening movements of the handles,or can be joined by pressure-sensitive adhesive or peelable cohesiveseals, which also are separable by opening movement of the handles.

[0051] It is to be noted from FIG. 3 that the final seal 8 on the frontwall of the bag is located above top seal 6 on the back wall. As will belater explained in more detail, this construction permits the bag to befilled (see FIG. 3A), after which an insulator can enter through theopening of the bag, as shown in FIG. 3B, to provide insulation behindthe closure at the time of heat-forming seal 8, so that the entire bagneed not be welded shut in this region. In other words, side 10 and side9 are not sealed together when seal 8 is formed. FIG. 3B shows insulatorbar 36 located behind the closure 5 so that, when heated seal jaw 38 isinitiated to make the seal between the bag film 9 and the closure flange44 of FIG. 4, bag wall 10 is not included in the seal.

[0052] In an alternative construction, an anti-thermal bonding coatingor treatment is applied to one or both of the contacting surfaces toprevent unwanted thermal sealing of the contacting surfaces, and theinsulator may be omitted.

[0053] In an alternate construction, the insulator is not employed, anda “sandwich” seal of layers 9, 44 and 10 is formed, and a tear region isprovided in the upper extension at wall 9 between that and weld 6.

[0054] Other types of bag construction can of course be employed withthe closure described.

[0055] Referring now to FIG. 3A, in a preferred use of the closure ofFIG. 4, at the time of filling the bag, the hook and loop sections 46,48 are mated or engaged, so that prior to final weld 8, the loop section48 of the closure is held next to the back wall 10 of the bag, spacedfrom the front wall 9, to provide for fill path 14 past the obverse orback side of the center-folded closure. Thus, product can be introducedinto the bag (see also FIG. 3B) after which weld-flange region 44 of theclosure is welded to the mating portion 9 a of the front wall. Thisfinal weld may be applied automatically, as shown, or by hand using animpulse sealer.

[0056]FIGS. 5A through 5G illustrate an automatic method to open andfill a bag such as produced according to FIG. 3. These are sectionalviews as in FIG. 3E.

[0057] In FIG. 5A, suction cups 20 and 21 are engaged with the upperarea of the film walls 9 and 10 at the front and back sides of the bag.FIG. 5B shows the suction cups to have opened in the direction of arrow23. In other words, the suction cups have now moved away from each otherto a fixed dimension, opening the top of the bag. In the configurationof FIG. 5B, because the final seal 8 has not been made at the obverseside 8′ of the closure strip, essentially no force is required foropening the bag beyond the flexing resistance of the bag film, makingthe bag or pouch easy and very reliable to open.

[0058]FIG. 5C shows suction cups 20 and 21 remaining fully extended, anda filling tunnel 24 is shown entering the open bag in the direction ofarrow 25. In this illustration, the filling funnel has at its lower enda pair of so-called “duck bill” funnel elements 24 a, 24 b. While such aduckbill device is one of the more popular ways to fill bags andpouches, the invention is of course not limited to that technique. Evena simple funnel can be employed. In FIG. 5D, the duckbill funnel hasentered to its full insertion depth past the opening of the bag, and theduckbill elements are shown extended apart at a position lower than thesuction cups and upper portions of the open bag. The center-foldedclosure presents its back to the product filling the bag. Thus, aspreviously noted, the closure is protected from contamination that mightinterfere with its eventual function or appearance. In FIG. 5D, productis shown starting to fill the bag. The spread-open left and rightduckbill elements 24 a, 24 b hold the bag open and define the flow pathfor the product.

[0059]FIG. 5E shows the duckbill-filling funnel retracting along path 28from the filled bag or pouch. The suction cups still engage the bagsides 9 and 10 holding them apart. Filling is complete.

[0060]FIG. 5F shows the suction cups closing along path 23′ to close thetop of the bag. FIG. 5G shows the bag closed. This corresponds to thecondition shown in FIG. 3A and 3B, the product 15 having entered the bagpast the closure. The open end of the bag is now closed and ready forthe seal to be formed at the top of the bag (see FIGS. 3B and 6).

[0061]FIG. 6 illustrates a downstream process, following the sequencedescribed above. FIG. 6 shows the bag on a traveling conveyer 34, whichbrings the top of the filled bag between typically a pair of verticallyoriented conveyer belts 33. Such belts are known as weld-compressionbelts. They grip and close the two halves of the top of the bag,compressing them uniformly together. At station 32, heat-seal jaws actagainst the captured film to effect the final thermal seal 8. Variouswelding arrangements can be employed. Weld jaws 32 can easily bedrag-seal jaws or intermittent-motion jaws. The conveyer 34 may runcontinuously to effect drag-sealing through the station 32, or theconveyer 34 can stop at appropriate times to allow reciprocatingheat-seal jaws 32 to come in, dwell to form the heat seal, and retract,following which, after further pausing for cooling and solidification ofthe heat-seal weld, conveyer 34 starts again to carry the sealed bagaway and introduce another one.

[0062] The seal area 9 a for this final seal 8 is as shown in FIG. 3A.The bag featured in FIG. 3A is without a handle. The final weld area 44of the closure extends above the initial weld 6, providing ampleclearance to effect weld 8 without the use of an insulating bar shown inFIG. 3B.

[0063] Referring again to FIG. 3B, this cross-sectional view shows theinsulator bar 36 extending down into the filled bag to insulate the bagfilm 10 against being welded to the back side of flange 44 as the finalweld for the burst seal. For FIG. 3B, weld bar 38 can come in and effectthe final weld 8 of the package, either intermittently or by use of adrag seal. If intermittent, the bag stops, a weld bar 38 comes in,presses against the insulator bar 36 and seals or fuses the weld flange44 of the closure to the weld area 9 a of the bag. If a drag seal isemployed, the conveyer supporting the bag does not stop, and the sealbar acts with constant pressure against seal area 8 and effectivelyseals by pressure and movement.

[0064]FIGS. 7, 7A and 7B show a filled sealed bag with the final seal 8having been completed. FIG. 7 does not show the optional handle, aconstruction which can readily be made without the insulator bar 36. InFIG. 7B, a sectional view of a filled bag with product 15, handle 4 isshown in dashed lines above seal 8. In this case the insulator bar ispositioned between the upper extensions 9 a and 10 a, on the back sideof seal 8, as the seal is formed.

[0065] In certain preferred embodiments, the side seals 1 extend to thefull top of the bag to ensure the sides of the package are sealedairtight. In this case, intermittent motions are employed to introducethe insulator between the side seals to form the final weld 8. Inanother case, e.g., where airtight sealing is not required, byaccurately controlling the extent of the side welds 1 to stop, e.g., atthe top edge of the hook and loop closure sections, a drag-sealingarrangement may be employed, in which the insulator slides between thesides of the handles, in the region of the final-weld flange.

[0066]FIG. 8 again shows a cross-section of the top edge of the bag andclosure assembly showing the final weld 8. The burst feature 7 is shownunbroken. In FIG. 8A, the end user is shown breaking this burst membranefeature 7. Fingers 53, 54 of the right and left hands of the user areshown. The user grasps the region of the final seal 8 and the top seal6. The user pulls these portions apart, thereby applying tensile forceon thin section t′ of the burst feature 7 of the closure (see also FIG.4A). As shown in FIG. 8A, the tension ruptures the closure at 7′, andentry is gained to the bag. Reclosing the bag or pouch is a simplematter of pressing the hook section 41 against the loop section 48. Theantipeel flap, as mentioned in the disclosures of the below-referencedpatent applications, is provided to provide a hinge flap on the side ofthe loop section 48. Product can then flow behind the loop section. Theproduct force is thus applied to the weld 8 and the mated hook and loopclosure is subjected substantially only to sheer forces (to which theclosure is particularly resistant).

[0067] In an alternative to FIGS. 8 and 8A, in which the bag is providedwith a pair of handles 4 in upper extensions of front and back walls 9,10, fingers of the user's right and left hands are inserted in thehandles, and the handles are pulled oppositely to effect the samerupture 7′.

[0068] In FIG. 9a funnel fitment 80 is shown on a bag. It may be formedin a number of advantageous ways. For example, in FIG. 10 an integralextension 80 a of the resin base of the closure unit provides additionalmaterial from which funnel 80 is formed after formation of weld 8, byrolling the sides of the extension 80 a together and forming a weld oradhesive joint 82 between them. In FIG. 11, on the other hand, the bagmaterial is selected to be suitable for forming a funnel 80 b, and anappropriately cut extension of the bag material itself constitutes apreform from which the funnel is formed. As shown in FIG. 12, in anotherembodiment funnel 80 b is formed of a discrete preform sheet and bondeddirectly to the weld flange 44.

[0069] Thus, there has been described a closure that is suitable to beapplied to a preformed pouch or preformed bag, which holds itself awayfrom a fill path, keeping itself clean, and presenting an extendedflange, which provides an effective target area for forming a final sealafter the package has been filled. The bag, when opened, retains aself-seal feature. The closure requires no tools or special features toallow the end user to break open the bag while providing a secure shelfseal during shipment and store presentation. Applications to bags of drygranular product, upwards of 20-30-lb. (9 to 13.5 kilogram) bags, wouldbe appropriate for this closure, as an example.

[0070] Either one or both walls of the bag may be extended upwardly toform either a handle on one face of the package or two handles as shown,one on each face of the package. Likewise, top extensions of one or bothwalls of the bag may define hanger holes for pegboard display of theproduct or fitment-landing regions for application of filler necks ortubes. The extended portions may also be the landing regions for headercards such as a chipboard to be stapled or affixed to the region. Noneof these interfere with the burst membrane of the closure.

[0071] The filling and sealing techniques that have been described maybe useful for other types of closure besides hook and loop closures.

[0072] As one example, an antipeel closure may be provided with the heatseals 6, 6′ and 8 as described, that do not include a burst membrane,e.g., the two closure sections may be separate but mated. In this case,one can still have the benefit of a fill path presented effectively,because the hook and loop sections engage to hold the closure away fromthe fill path. The seal 8 can still be effected by the extended flange44, accomplished in the same manner as previously described. Onlyslightly different tooling would be required to form welds 6 and 6′ andthen to mate the other closure section to it. In such a case, where theburst-seal feature 7 is omitted, the shelf seal can be, for instance,either a peel seal located below the hook and loop closure or a thermalseal above the hook and loop closure, that is cut or torn off to openthe bag. A peel seal is typically a thermal seal which employs the samepulling motion as the burst seal to peel it apart. It fails, forinstance, based on the limited cohesiveness of additives of the wallportion that allow separation. It typically is not tacky after opening.The user peels through it, hence the name “peel seal,” an action whichexposes the hook and loop closure, which would then be opened to gainaccess to the bag.

[0073] The thermal seal mentioned would be a permanent seal, which wouldbe cut or torn off of the bag and therefore would only be placed on thebags above the hook and loop closure.

[0074] It will be understood that the regions devoted respectively tothe hook and loop sections, in the embodiments shown, can be reversed,and various types of specific closure materials and fastener elementscan be employed to produce hook and loop engagement.

[0075] As evident from the embodiments described above, the closurestrip is useful in many packaging applications, for providing areadily-engaged releasable closure that does not require perfectalignment during closing. The closure is useful for packaged food items,such as grains, meals, animal food, dog food, litter, sugar, flour,cookies, candy bars, and even produce, and may be located at one sealedend or along a longitudinal seam of the package. By “bag”, we mean toinclude all packages with flexible sides, including but not limited tostandable pouches and flexible cartons.

[0076] The contents of the following applications are all incorporatedherein by reference as if fully set forth: U.S. patent applications Ser.Nos. 09/187,389, filed Nov. 06, 1998, 09/293,257 filed Apr. 16, 1999,60/240,288 filed Oct. 13, 2000, PCT/US01/31689, filed Oct. 11, 2001 andWO US99/26261 filed Nov. 5, 1997, designating the United States amongothers.

[0077] Other embodiments will be understood to fall within the scope ofthe following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A reclosable bag comprising: a folded closurestrip disposed at a bag opening between opposing bag side walls andhaving parallel hook and loop bands extending from a surface thereof,the bands separated by a frangible region of the closure strip, suchthat the bag, after being opened by severing the frangible region, isadapted to be reclosed by placing the hook and loop bands in releasableengagement, wherein one of the opposing bag side walls extends past thebag opening, beyond the other of the opposing bag side walls and anopposite side of the closure strip, to form a side wall extension,wherein the closure strip is joined to an inside surface of said one ofthe opposing bag walls in a joint region disposed outboard of an outeredge of said other of the opposing bag walls.
 2. The reclosable bag ofclaim 1, in which the side wall extension forms a funnel fitment.
 3. Thereclosable bag of claim 1, in which the closure strip is joined to aninside surface of said other of the opposing bag walls, in twolongitudinal, spaced apart joint regions.
 4. The reclosable bag of claim1, in which the closure strip is joined to the inside surface of saidone of the opposing bag walls only at its ends and in said joint region.5. The reclosable bag of claim 1, in which a first one of the loop bandand the hook band is bordered on each side by a joint region joining theclosure strip to a bag surface, and the second of said bands is borderedon only one of its sides, opposite the frangible region, by a jointregion joining the closure strip to a bag surface.
 6. The reclosable bagof claim 1, in which the loop band comprises a loop strip carried on thefront face of a substrate of the closure strip and forming a discreteband of hook-engageable, extended loops along the length of the closurestrip, the loop strip being at least partially encapsulated in resin ofthe substrate across its width.
 7. The reclosable bag of claim 6, inwhich the loop strip has discrete regions which are more encapsulated byresin than other regions thereof.
 8. The reclosable bag of claim 6, inwhich the hooks are integrally molded with resin of a common substrateof the closure strip.
 9. The reclosable bag of claim 1, in which thefrangible region comprises a region thinner than the general thicknessof the closure strip, bordered on each side by formations which arethicker than the general thickness of the closure strip.
 10. A partiallyconstructed bag suitable to be filled through an opening at its top, thebag having a closure strip disposed along its opening, the closure stripcomprising a sheet-form substrate having a front face; a loop sectioncarried on the front face of the substrate and comprising a discreteband of hook-engageable loops extending along the length of the closurestrip; a loop-engageable section of loop-engageable fastener elementsextending longitudinally along the length of the closure strip andspaced apart from loop section; the substrate being folded in afrangible region between the loop section and the loop-engageablesection, to engage the loops and fastener elements; the closure stripbeing permanently joined to an inside surface of one of two opposed sidewalls of the bag at the opening, in a joint region, leaving a fill pathbetween the closure strip and the other of the opposed walls of the bag.11. The partially constructed bag of claim 10, in which the other of thetwo opposed side walls of the bag extends beyond the joint region andbeyond the bag opening, forming a side wall extension on one side of thebag.
 12. The partially constructed bag of claim 11, in which the sidewall extension forms a funnel fitment.
 13. The partially constructed bagof claim 10, in which the closure strip is joined to the inside surfacein two longitudinal, spaced apart joint regions.
 14. A method of fillinga bag, the method comprising providing a partially constructed bagconstructed according to claim 10; holding the bag open to define a fillpath extending past an obverse side of the closure strip, between theclosure strip and the other of the opposed walls of the bag; and pouringcontents into the open bag through the fill path.
 15. The method ofclaim 14, further comprising joining said obverse side of the closurestrip to said other of the opposed walls of the bag after the bag isfilled.
 16. The method of claim 15, in which the obverse side of theclosure strip is joined to an extension of said other of the opposedwalls of the bag by heat sealing.
 17. The method of claim 15, in whichboth walls of the bag extend beyond the closure strip, and an insulatoris inserted between said extensions before joining said obverse side ofthe closure strip to said other of the opposed walls of the bag afterthe bag is filled.
 18. The method of claim 10, in which said other ofthe opposed walls of the bag extends beyond the bag opening to form anextension.
 19. The method of claim 1, in which the extension defines ahandle, a support hole, or a region for mounting a header or a fitment.